Letter-file



(Nov Model.) 2 SheetsSl1eet 1.

A. DOM.

I LETTER FILE. No. 316,951. Patented May 5, 1885.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. DOM.

LETTER FILE.

No. 316,951.- Patented May 5: 188 5.

Jnrenfa:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER DOM, OF MOUNT HEALTHY, ASSIGNOR TO THE GLOBE FILES COMPANY, OFCINCINNATI, OHIO.

LETTER-FILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 316,951, dated May 5.1885.

Application filed September 15, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER DOM, a resident of the village of MountHealthy, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, 5 have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Files, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My object has been to provide a file for letters, bills, postal-cards,or papers of any description which shall be cheap and strong inconstruction, not liable to get out of order, readily used, shall have ameans of prevent-- ing the filed papers from becoming detached, and,finally, may be used either flat on a table or hanging on a wall.

The several features of my invention and the various advantagesresulting from' their use conjointly or otherwise will be apparent fromthe following description and claims.

Figure 1, Sheet 1, represents a perspective View of a file illustratingcertain features of my invention, the file being partially open. Fig. 2,same sheet, represents in side elevation the same device shown in Fig.1, and shows the file closed. When the bottom or narrow edge of Sheet 1is toward the spectator, the file in Figs. 1 and 2 is in the position itassumes when hung against a wall or equivalent vertical surface. Whenthe top of this sheet has been turned toward the right, the bottom ofthe sheet being at the left hand, the file in Figs. 1 and 2 will be inthe position it assumes when set upon a table or substantiallyhorizontal support. Fig. 3 represents in perspective those features ofmy invention shown in Fig. 1 combined with a basepiece. Fig. 4represents a transverse central vertical longitudinal section of thedevice shown in Fig. 3, the end portions of the said base being brokenoff.

The file preferably consists as follows: Two pieces of wire areemployed, as shown. The first piece of wire is so bent as to form a baseor back, A, whichconsists of two sides, a, a top, a, and cross-wires aThe extremities of the cross-wires a are bent up at right angles to theplane of the back or base A and form the prongs a". The tops of theprongs a are beveled off, as shown at a, or otherwise 50 pointed, andthus form sharp points which perforate readily the papers as they arefiled. In the top a an eye or loop, a, is bent in the wire, and formsthe means of hanging the file on a wall, and at the same time said eyeor loop, lengthening the base A, increases the sta- 5 5 bility of thefile when placed flat 011 the table. A sliding piece, B, is made from asecond wire,which wire is wrapped around one of the sides a, forming asleeve, 1). This wire is then brought across the space between the twoon sides a, thus forming the connecting-piece b, and a second sleeve 12is wrapped about the other side a. The respective ends of the wire B areturned at a right angle to the plane of the base or back A and make thestandards b the tops of which are turned over into hooks b substantiallyas shown in the drawings. The extremities of the hooks b are sharpened,and these extremities and the ends of the prongs a are preferably soformed in relation to each other as that the ends of a prong a and theextremity of the adjacent hook b shall, when brought together, form acontinuous wire. The preferred formation for such purpose is as follows:The extremities of the hooks are beveled at b, as are the ends of prongsa at a but in an opposite direction. Thus when the hooks are brought upto the prongs the two beveled surfaces will rest against each other, andthe prongs and 8c hooks will form a continuous wire, and the file willbe closed. r

The mode of operation is as follows: The sliding piece B is first pushedtoward the top or rear a, leaving the file open, and the prongs 8 5 aare ready to receive the papers. Such papers as may be desired are nowfiled upon the prongs a", and the sliding piece B drawn downward orforward, closing the file, as shown in Fig. .2. When it is desired toremove any 0 paper from the file, the sliding piece 13 is retracted, andthe'file thereby opened; but when closed the file is perfectly securedand no pa pers can be taken from it. The papers may be readily examinedwhile on the file by slid- 5 ing them, as fast as examined, over fromone pair of uprights, as a. a*, to the other pair of uprights, b, orVice versa.

As thus made, my device is a cheap, light,- quickly-constructed file,which is easily ma 10o a basethe rods a are preferably continued innipulated, and forms a perfect retainer of the paper put on it"? Itsadaptability to both wall and table use is one of its desirablefeatures.

The rearward movement of the rods 1) may be stopped in any suitablemanner. A convenient mode of thus stopping them is by making the rods aof such a length and to join the cross rear end portion, a, of the frameat such a point that the said cross-bar a shall constitute a stop forthe said upright rods b". The rearward movement of the rods 1; should beof such an extent that when they are moved back and against the rearstop or stops the space between the end a of a rod or and of theadjacent end b of a red I) shall be of a suit able width to rightlyreceive the heads of the particular descriptionfof papers to be filed.By resting-the upper edge of the paper to be filed against the frontside of the hooks I) when the file is open, and then pressing the paperonto the points a and sliding it down onto the uprights a, the hooks I)serve as gages for enabling each sheet of paper to be perforated by thepoints a at an equal distance from the upper edge of the paper.

The mode of coiling the wire and forming a sleeve 6 is not onlya'ready;wayof forming and constructing a sleeve, but also is an easymode of obtaining and regulating the desired amount of friction requiredto be presout between the hooks or slides B and the base A, in orderthat the:file shall not too readily open or shut.

The cross-piece b is preferably made of spring metal and curved,(preferably as shown,) and thereby operates to press each sleeve againstits respective guide or base rod a, thereby creating a moderate frictionbetween the sleeve and its said rod. In this manner the sliding piece Bwill be securely held at any point along the rods a to which it has beenmoved by the operator. This friction is not so great as to prevent thesliding piece B from moving in answer to a decided pressure-of theoperator.

When desired, my device may be combined witha wooden or metallicbase-piece, to give it more stabilityand weight. In Figs. 3 and 4 thepreferred mode of combining my device with a base, and the preferredmode of construction of the said device and the base, are illustrated. IThe base .0 consists of a flat piece of wood or'other suitable materialor materials. The upper outer surface of the base Gis usually raisedenough above the lower or bottom surface of the file to allow the lowerportion ofthe sleeveb to rest or lie in an opening, slot, or-recess, e,in the base, and yet be free to slide without friction back and forth onits wire a. The wires a and the rear wire, a, rest, preferably,

uponthe upper surface of said base 0, and

are suitably secured thereto, preferably by staples f. The crossing ofthe rods (4 maybe dispensed with.

In'the event of the file being combined with the. papers on the file.

a straight line'forward, and then bent up to form uprights a,substantially as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The rods a and a are in suchevent suitably secured to the base, preferably by staples f, as shown.

\Vhen it is intended to suspend the base 0 against a wall-or the like,suitable means for its suspension are to be provided. A preferred andcommon mode is to locate an opening, 9, in the base 0 or in an extensionthereof. Through this opening passes the nail, hook, or the like whichis attached to the wall, and by which the file is suspended. In theevent of the base being thus constructed for suspension the eye or loopa in the wire of the file may well be dispensed with, and the rod orwire a be continued straight across from one red at to the other red at.

For the purpose of covering the sleeve band cross-rod b and rods a anda, and affording a smooth upper surface in the vicinity of the uprightsa. 0; and b b", Ipreferably employ a cover,D,such as shown. This coverconsists of thin sheet metal struck up or otherwise formed into shape,and has a top, (2, sides d, and flanges (1*. These flanges (1 projectoutward from the bottom edge of the sides d, and afford a convenientmeans for securing the cover D to the base 0, nails or screws d or thelike being passed through the flanges and into the base. Each upright apasses up through an opening, h, in its part of the cover D,and eachupright 1) passes up through an elongated opening, m, in its part of thecover, each of said openings m being elongated to allow the upright init to slide back and forth as the file is opened and closed.

When rods a a, &c., are to be covered, the cross-rod b is preferablybent down, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, between the sleeves Z), so as tomove under the cover and out of the way of Obviously, by bending thecross rod or wire I), the tension or friction of the sleeves on the rodson which they respectively slide may be increased or diminished.

The cross-rod b and the sleeve or coiled spring I), being made of springmetal, and by their peculiar curved shape, always provide a pressureoutward or inward, and thus in the event of the pressure being eitherinward or outward the rod 1) always regulates the amount of friction.

'While the various features of my invention are preferably employedtogether, one or more of said features may be employed without theremainder. One or more of said features may, so far as applicable, beemployed in other devices for filing papers, &c. than those hereinspecified.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A file having the uprights a, each upright being connected to abase-rod, a, and sleeves b, each sleeve carrying hooked uprights bandsliding on its respective base-rod a, the

the purposes specified.

2. A file having the uprights a, each upright being connected to itsrespective baserod a, and sleeves b, each sleeve carrying a hookedupright, b and sliding on its respective base-rod, the sleeves beingconnected to a cross-rod or connection, I), and the rear ends of therods to being connected together by the rear cross-rod a, substantiallyas and for the purposes specified.

3. In a file, the combination of the cross rod or spring I) and thefriction-sleeves b,connected thereto, and rods a, on which said sleevesrespectively slide, substantially as and for the purposes specified. I

4. A file having the uprights a each upright being connected to itsrespective baserod or, and sleeves b, each sleeve carrying an upright,[2 and sliding on its respective base, the sleeves being provided with acrossrod or connection for preventing their turning 1ater ally, and thebase-rods a being connected to rear rod a, provided with eye asubstantially as and for the purposes specified.

5. A file having base-rods a a, crossing each other in front, andterminating forward, respectively, in the uprights a a and rearward inthe rod a, and hooked rods b, respectively connected to sleeves slidingon rods a, the sleeves being joined by a connection, 1), substantiallyas and for the purposes specified.

6. A file having base-rods a a, crossing each other in front, andterminating forward, respectively, in the uprights a a and rearward inthe rod a, and hooked rods 7), respectively connected to sleeves slidingon rods a, the sleeves being joined by a connection, b, the rod a, beingprovided with eye a substantially as and for the purposes specified.

7. Afile consisting of only two pieces of wire, one wire bent andforming standards a, rods a, rod a, and eye or loop a and the other wirebent and forming the rods 13, sleeves b, and crossrod I), combinedsubstantially as and for the purposes specified.

8. A file consisting of back A, provided with sides a, top a, eye across-wires a and prongs a, and sliding piece B, consisting of sleevesb, connecting-piece 1), standards b and hooks b substantially as and forthe purposes specified.

9.. The combination of the wire twisted sleeves carrying sliding piecesB B, and having cross-bar or connection 12, and base-wires to, havinguprights a a, substantially as and for' the purposes specified.

10. The combination of base-piece C and the file consisting,substantially, of rods a, uprights a, rear rod a, sleeves I), uprights bb", and cross-rod 72', substantially as and for the purposes specified.

11. The combination of base-pieceG and the file consisting,substantially, of rods a, up rights a, rear rod a, sleeves b, uprights bb, cross-rod b, and the cover D, provided withv top walls and flangesand openings, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

ALEXANDER DOM.

' Attest:

J NO. W. STREHLI, O.M. HILL.

